Divider means for filing drawers



vDIVIDER MEANS FOR FILING DRAWERS Filed Jan. 2 0, 195o v v v Y. 2 `sheets-Sheet 1 l ClarenceWSb-czubel.

l L\ A L A n ATTORNEY c. w. sTRAuBEL -DIVIDER MEANS FOR FILING DRAW'ERSV 1y ATTOR N EY Patented Feb. 16, 1954 DIVIDER MEANS Foa FILING DRAWERS l Clarence W. Straubel, Youngstown, Ohio, as-

' signor to The General Fireprooiing Company,

Youngstown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 20, 1950, Serial No. 139,589

3 Claims. (Cl. 12B-28) This invention relates to filing cabinets, and has particular reference to improvements `in means for mounting divider plates in filing cabinet, drawers for adjustments longitudinally Vof the drawers. f f Generally speaking, the object ofthe invention is to provide,'in association with a 'divider plate which is mounted in a drawer for forward and rearward sliding adjustments and for forward and rearward rocking movement, means to limit rearward rocking movement of said plate, yield-v able means tending constantly to rock said plate rearwardly, and other means which is effective to hold said plate against any appreciable forwardor rearward sliding adjustment as long as said plate isv in a rearwardly rocked position, but which. is released by forward. rocking movement of said plate. Thus,`said plate is adapted for manual forward or rearward adjustment atV will simply by first rocking the same forwardly to effect its release topermit such adjustment and, at the same time, is adapted for advantageous, automatic, incremental, forward adjustment each time a sufficient amount of material accumulates behind the same to effect forward rocking movement thereof to a released position.

More particularly, the object of the invention is to provide simple, practical means for mounting a divider plate for forward and rearward sliding adjustments and for forward and rearward rocking movements, and other simple, practical -means whereby said plate is adjustable either manually orv automatically in the manner stated and isy retained in any adjusted position thereof until moved from such position either manually or automatically by the accumulation of material behind the same. l

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which willbecome more fully apparent as the nature of theinvention is better understood, /the same ,consists in a divider plate mounting means embodying .fthe novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings and as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters rof reference denote corresponding parts in the different Views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a filing cabinet drawer equipped with a plurality of divider plates mounted in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; l Figure 3 isvan enlarged top plan View showing the mounting of one of the divider plates;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4--4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the divider plate swung forwardly to a released position; Y n

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the divider plate mountings; and Y f Figure 8 is a detail sectional view of a modified form of rack for lthe bottom wall of the guide element.

Referring to the drawings in detail, IU designates, generally, a ling cabinet drawer and II designates, generally, a divider plate mounted in said drawer in accordance with the invention.

Secured in any suitable manner upon the bottom I2 ofthe drawer I0 is a guideelement I3 which extends longitudinally of said drawer substantially from end to end thereof and which has suitably mounted thereon for sliding movement therealong a shoe I4 by which the divider plate II iscarried.

As illustrated in the drawings, the guide element I3 may appropriately be of substantially U-shape in cross section and may comprise a bottom wall I5, side walls I6 and flanges I'I extending inwardly from the tops of its side walls, Likewise, andas illustrated in the drawings, the shoe I4 may appropriately be of substantially U-shape in cross section and may comprise a bottom wall I8, side walls I9 and iianges 20 extending inwardly from the tops of its side walls. Both said guide element and said shoe may appropriately be formed from sheet metal and said shoe may be slidably retained in said guide element yby. having its side portions confined between the bottom wall l5 and the flanges I1 of said guide element. In this connection, to provide for free and easy sliding movement of the shoevv I4 along the guide element I3, said shoe mayhave depressed `therefrom elongated ribs or other suitable formations 2I longitudinal thereof for substantially anti-frictional contact with the bottom wall of said guide element.

The divider plate I I extends, of course, transversely of the drawer I0 and at its bottom has a downward projection 22 which is disposed between the flanges 20 of the shoe I4. The anges 20 and the side edges of the projection 22 are notched as indicated at 23 and 24,'respectively, and have their notched portions intertted with each other whereby the divider platell is retained in assembly with the shoe I4 and is mounted thereon for forward and rearward rocking movements relative thereto. v

A suitable spring 25 is suitably mounted on the shoe I4 and issuitably engagedwith the divider plate II so as to tend constantly to rock the latter rearwardly to its limit of rearward rocking movement as determined by suitable stop means which may comprise either or both side projections 26 adjacent to the top of the divider plate for engagement with the tops of the side walls 2l of the drawer I0, or rearwardly directed foot formations 23 at the bottom of the projection 22 for engagement with the bottom wall I8 of the shoe I4.

The guide element I3 is suitably provided at points suitably spaced apart along its length with a series of suitable stop formations .29 which may consist, for example, of portions of the bottom wall |5 of said guide element eX- truded or deflected upwardly from said bottom wall as shown in my prior Patent 2,281,464, issued April 28, 1942, and assigned to the present assignee, The General Fireproolng Company of Youngstown, Ohio. These stops are receptor teeth for receiving an element integrally formed from the rear of the divider plate Il providing positive abutments in one direction, while in the other direction the tongue, hereinafter referred to by numeral 3|, may slide thereover. In order that the bottom wall I8 of the shoe I4 may clear these stop formations 29 so as to avoid interference by the latter with Sliding movements of said shoe along the guide element I3, said shoe bottom wall I8 may be arched as indicated at 3B.

therefore is moved downwardly between the stop v f.'

formations 29 when said divider plate is rocked rearwardly (see Fig. 5) and rises above said stop formations when said divider plate is rocked forwardly (see Fig. 6). Consequently, when the divider plate II is in its rearwardly rocked position, rearward sliding movement of the shoe I4 and, hence, of said divider plate, is limited by the nearest stop formations 29 to the rear thereof. On the other hand, when the divider plate II is rocked forwardly sufliciently to raise the .-.1

tongue 3| above the stop formations 29, the shoe i4 and the divider plate are free to slide forwardly and rearwardly. lt thus will be apparent that the divider plate II may manually be adjusted forwardly or rearwardly of the drawer IU i.

whenever desired simply by rst rocking said plate forwardly to lift the tongue 3| above the stop formations 25 and by then sliding said plate and the shoe I4 along the guide element to the desired location. By then releasing the divide!` plate, the spring 25 will rock said plate rearwardly with the result that the tongue 3| will be urged rearwardly into abutting relation with a rearward adjacent stop. This will limit any rearward movement of said plate.

As material accumulates in the drawer Ill behind the divider plate Il, the material will, of course, exert forward pressure against the divider plate with the result that the latter will eventually be rocked forward to a position in which the tongue 3| is raised above the stop formations 29. When this occurs, the spring 25 by reacting from the divider plate upon the shoe i4', willcause said'shoe to slide forwardly until the forward pressure against the divider plate Due to the rearward offsetting is sufliciently relieved to permit the spring 25 to return said divider plate to its rearwardly rocked position. Thus, the divider plate II is automatically and incrementally adjustable forwardly to afford more drawer space behind the same to receive material as material accumulates behind the same.

While the spring 25 may be of any suitable type, it may appropriately be of generally U- shape and may include a medial portion 32 engaged against the front face of the divider plate and a pair of arms 33 engaged in eye formations 34 struck upwardly from the bottom wall I8 of the shoe I4. As indicated at 35, the arms 33 may be coiled so that the medial portion 32 tends constantly to rock the divider plate II rearwardly.

As will be understood, any given drawer Ill may be provided with as many `of the divider plates I I as desired.

Figure 8 shows a modified form of guide Ila wherein the bottoni wall Ida is provided with a series of stop formations 25a and 29h which form pairs of dual unit stops for the tongue 3|.

' The stop formations of each unit have convex surfaces facing each other as shown. The conver surfaces contact the bottom edge of the tongue 3|. Normally, the tongue 3| rests in a position 29o in the valley between the two con- Vex surfaces of a unit. Under pressure of files in the cabinet tending to force a divider plate forwardly, the tongue 3| will ride Aover the stops. When the pressure is released, the 'plate will tend to tilt back vto its normal position of rest. The tongue 3| may then be in any one of several positions. For example, it may be in the space between a pair of consecutive units; in the valley between the convex surfaces of a given unit; or on one of the convex surfaces. The force required to move the divider plate forwardly while the tongue member 3| is not in contact with a step member is obviously less than that required to move it forwardly when the tongue member is in contact with a stop member. The divider plate will come to rest at a point where the file pressure is balanced by the resistance of a stop member against the tongue 3|. In other words, if the pressure against the back of the divider plate diminishes to a point sufficient to permit the tongue 3| to fall in the space between consecutive units, the diminished pressure will usually be sufficient to continue moving the divider plate forwardly until the tongue 3| encounters sufficient resistance in contact with a rear ystop member 29o of a unit immediately forward thereof. Should the tongue 3| fall in the valley between the convex surfaces of a given unit, it will usually proceed to engage the forward stop of the unit. Should it fall on the rearward con- Vex surface 2Gb, aslthe pressure diminishes on the back of the divider plate, it will slide downward thereon until it comes to rest in the valley between it and the forward member 29a of the unit.

It may be seen, therefore, that under a ille load pressure of suiiicient magnitude the divider plate will be moved forwardly and as the pressure diminishes, movement of the divider plate will be arrested by a stop member. However, should it be desired to move the divider plate forwardly to any position desired, this may be done by grasping the top of the divider plate and pulling it forwardly under a constantly applied manual force sufficient to overcome the resistance of the tongue 3| against the stops.l

From ther foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that the novel features of the invention will be clearly understood and their advantages appreciated. It is desired to point out, however. that while only a single, specific structural embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, the same is readily capable of specifically different structural embodiments within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a ling cabinet, a drawer, a guide element carried by and extending longitudinally of said drawer at the bottom thereof, said guide element being of substantially U-shape in cross section and including a bottom wall, side walls rising from said bottom Wall, and inwardly directed flanges at the tops of said side walls, a shoe mounted in said guide element for sliding movement therealong, said shoe also being of substantially U-shape in cross section and including a bottom wall, side walls rising from its bottom wall, and inwardly directed flanges at the tops of its side walls, the side portions of said shoe being confined between the bottom wall and the flanges of said guide element, a divider plate having a bottom projection extending downwardly between the flanges of said shoe, said shoe flanges and said projection having intertting notches whereby said divider plate is mounted upon said shoe for forward and rearward rocking movements relative thereto, stop formations on said guide element at points spaced apart longitudinally along the latter, a bottom portion of said divider plate projection being engageable between an adjacent pair of said stop formations when said divider plate is in a rearwardly rocked position, said bottom portion of said divider plate being disengageable from between said stop formations by a predetermined amount of forward rocking movement of said divider plate so as not to interfere with longitudinal adjustment of said shoe and said divider plate along said guide element, means to limit rearward rocking movement of said divider plate, and yieldable means tending constantly to rock said divider plate rearwardly.

2. In a filing cabinet, a drawer, a guide element carried by and extending longitudinally of said drawer, said guide element including a bottom wall, a shoe mounted on said guide element for sliding movement therealong, said shoe also including a bottom wall in contact with the -bottom wall of the guide element, but having a longitudinal ridge to provide a longitudinal clearance channel between the bottom wall of the guide element, and the bottom wall of the shoe, a transverse divider plate hingedly mounted on said shoe at the rear thereof for forward and rearward rocking movement relative thereto, a longitudinal row of stop formations projecting upwardly from the bottom Wall of said guide element at spaced intervals in the said channel, said stop formations being arranged in pairs, the stop formations of each pair being spaced apart longitudinally and having convex surfaces facing each other and diverging upward from the bottom wall of the guide element to the top of the formations, said divider plate having a bottom portion projecting below its hinge axis beyond the rear end of the shoe in the space between a consecutive pair of said stop formations when said divider plate is in a rearwardly rocked position, said bottom portion of the divider plate being disengageable from between said stop formations by a predetermined amount of forward rocking movement of the -divider plate, means for limiting rearward rocking movement of the divider plate, and resilient means urging the divider plate to rock rearwardly.

3. In a filing cabinet, a drawer, a guide element carried by and extending longitudinally of said drawer, said guide element including a bottom wall, a shoe mounted on said guide element for sliding movement therealong, said shoe also including a bottom wall in contact with the Ibottom wall of the guide element, but having a longitudinal ridge to provide a longitudinal clearance channel between the bottom wall of the guide element and bottom wall of the shoe, said shoe being also provided with inwardly extending horizontal flanges, a transverse divider plate hingedly mounted on said shoe at the rear thereof for forward and rearward rocking movement relatively thereto, said divider plate being provided with horizontal slots which register with said flanges, a longitudinal row of stop formations projecting upwardly from the bottom wall of said guide element at spaced intervals in the said channel, said divider plate having a bottom portion projecting below its hinge axis beyond the rear end of the shoe in the space between a consecutive pair of said stop formation when said divider plate is in a rearwardly rocked position, said bottom portion of the divider plate being disengageable from between said stop formations by a predetermined amount of forward rocking movement of the divider plate, means for limiting rearward rocking movement of the divider plate, and resilient means urging the divider plate to rock rearwardly, said resilient means comprising a coil spring having horizontally extending arms secured to the bottom wall of the shoe and an upwardly projecting medial por.. tion secured to the divider plate.

CLARENCE W. STRAUBEL.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 482,497 Cox Sept. 3, 1892 1,381,491 Ohnstrand June 14, 1921 1,774,914 Clark Sept. 2, 1930 1,776,678 Carlson Sept. 23, 1930 1,926,503 Straubel Sept. 12, 1933 1,983,576 Straubel Dec. 11, 1934 2,040,595 Brainard May 12, 1936 2,236,807 Swimmer Apr. 1, 1941 2,249,548 Swimmer July 15, 1941 2,281,464 Straubel Apr. 28, 1942 

